Brother
by godcomplexLoading
Summary: Perhaps it was the child's face, so pitiful and dirty. Perhaps it was its piteous cries, high and annoying. Or perhaps it was nothing more than animal instincts, tugging at his dusty heartstrings. But whatever it was, Sesshomaru was stuck with it now. A tale of two brothers, whose story was changed by one word and an uncharacteristic choice.
1. The Word

**Summary: **Perhaps it was the child's face, so much like their father's. Perhaps it was its piteous cries, high and annoying and impossible to ignore. Or perhaps it was nothing more than animal instincts, tugging at his dusty heartstrings. Whatever it was, Sesshomaru was stuck with it now. An uncharacteristic choice affects the world forevermore, and it began and ended with a word: "brother".

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated to it. This work of fiction has earned me nothing but the satisfaction of another story written. A hastily written thank-you note to Rumiko Takahashi and all of hers, both for creating the story and giving the legal rights for us to use it as we please.

**Author's Note: **Holy shit, this may end up having short chapters. How the hell does that work.

For those who walked into this room hoping for some yaoi, I'm afraid you are in the wrong place. If you are here simply for the tale of two brothers and what could have been, I think you may enjoy your stay.

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**001: One Word**

"Brother…"

The thing's cries ended with that word, whispered in a blend of awe and terror. Golden eyes met golden eyes and something somewhere shifted.

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**Words**: 25


	2. Impression

**Summary: **Perhaps it was the child's face, so much like their father's. Perhaps it was its piteous cries, high and annoying and impossible to ignore. Or perhaps it was nothing more than animal instincts, tugging at his dusty heartstrings. Whatever it was, Sesshomaru was stuck with it now. An uncharacteristic choice affects the world forevermore, and it began and ended with a word: "brother".

**Author's Note:** Because it seems rather ridiculous to expect one to form an opinion based on a mere 25 words.

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**002: Impression**

Solitude did not treat this child well. Dirt was rubbed across its face, and though its clothes and skin remained defiantly unbroken, the underclothes were ripped and its white hair was unkempt and there was a haunted terror in its eyes that Sesshomaru could never relate to. Its back was pressed against bark, but even in its youth it seemed to know the futility of trying to escape the destined-to-be-great Sesshomaru. The youkai had thought the child would beg or plead or even defy, but he certainly hadn't expected…well…_that_.

He turned to walk away, but stopped after only one step.

_Brother…_

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**Words**: 103


	3. Excuse

**Summary: **Perhaps it was the child's face, so much like their father's. Perhaps it was its piteous cries, high and annoying and impossible to ignore. Or perhaps it was nothing more than animal instincts, tugging at his dusty heartstrings. Whatever it was, Sesshomaru was stuck with it now. An uncharacteristic choice affects the world forevermore, and it began and ended with a word: "brother".

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**003: Excuse**

It was the child's face, he decided. That had to be it. The resemblance to their father was obvious. It reminded him of him, and that inspired some kind of weak sentimentality he couldn't shake.

That must have been it. There was no other explanation.

But all Sesshomaru could think about as he walked away with a hanyou brat in his arms was the whispered word that had started all of this.

**Words**: 72


	4. Break

**Summary: **Perhaps it was the child's face, so much like their father's. Perhaps it was its piteous cries, high and annoying and impossible to ignore. Or perhaps it was nothing more than animal instincts, tugging at his dusty heartstrings. Whatever it was, Sesshomaru was stuck with it now. An uncharacteristic choice affects the world forevermore, and it began and ended with a word: "brother".

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**004: Break**

Their journey was spent in absolute silence. Sesshomaru refused to speak and he wasn't sure the brat knew how. The only reason the child remained in his arms, he reasoned, was because he was certain it couldn't keep up with him, not in its condition. It was still healing, and even so was slow and weak. If he could, he would keep it as far away as possible.

The silence was broken rudely by an annoyingly human sound.

His eyes slanted downwards harshly. The noise sounded not once, nor twice, but _continuously._

The hanyou met his gaze defiantly, standing out as a spot of red in white sea. "Hungry."

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**Words**: 109


	5. Unceremonious

**Summary: **Perhaps it was the child's face, so much like their father's. Perhaps it was its piteous cries, high and annoying and impossible to ignore. Or perhaps it was nothing more than animal instincts, tugging at his dusty heartstrings. Whatever it was, Sesshomaru was stuck with it now. An uncharacteristic choice affects the world forevermore, and it began and ended with a word: "brother".

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**005: Unceremonious**

Sesshomaru snorted. "Feed yourself," he demanded, and let his arm go slack. The hanyou was off the second its feet hit the ground and, though he was sorely tempted, Sesshomaru didn't move from that spot until it returned.

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**Words: **38


	6. Not

**Summary: **Perhaps it was the child's face, so much like their father's. Perhaps it was its piteous cries, high and annoying and impossible to ignore. Or perhaps it was nothing more than animal instincts, tugging at his dusty heartstrings. Whatever it was, Sesshomaru was stuck with it now. An uncharacteristic choice affects the world forevermore, and it began and ended with a word: "brother".

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**006: Not**

It returned quickly, its hands dirty with dirt and the juices of whatever it had found to eat. Sesshomaru sniffed in disdain…the wretched thing couldn't even _hunt_.

_There's no way_, he thought. _No way that thing is related to me._

And despite those thoughts he waited, this time allowing the child to trail in his wake as he went back on his never-ending quest for power.

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**Words**: 67


	7. Quiet

**Summary: **Perhaps it was the child's face, so much like their father's. Perhaps it was its piteous cries, high and annoying and impossible to ignore. Or perhaps it was nothing more than animal instincts, tugging at his dusty heartstrings. Whatever it was, Sesshomaru was stuck with it now. An uncharacteristic choice affects the world forevermore, and it began and ended with a word: "brother".

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**007: Quiet**

It was very quiet. Sesshomaru hadn't known what to expect…perhaps for it to talk his ear off or wail every time it got dark or perhaps just make little huffs or pants like he was fairly certain most children did. But no. The hanyou was silent…well, its _mouth_ was. Sesshomaru could hear its crashing footsteps even when it lagged meters behind. It made hunting nigh impossible unless he wanted to just leave the runt behind.

The silence with which their journey started continued for two days, and was broken once again by the insistent rumbling of a young stomach.

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**Words**: 101


	8. Rest

**Summary: **Perhaps it was the child's face, so much like their father's. Perhaps it was its piteous cries, high and annoying and impossible to ignore. Or perhaps it was nothing more than animal instincts, tugging at his dusty heartstrings. Whatever it was, Sesshomaru was stuck with it now. An uncharacteristic choice affects the world forevermore, and it began and ended with a word: "brother".

**008: Rest**

Sesshomaru leaned against the tree, his eyes closed as he let the sun warm him and melt his stresses away. Ever so often he would crack open a golden eye to see the red-clad figure curled up on a branch above his head.

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**WordS:** 43


	9. Adorned

**Summary: **Perhaps it was the child's face, so much like their father's. Perhaps it was its piteous cries, high and annoying and impossible to ignore. Or perhaps it was nothing more than animal instincts, tugging at his dusty heartstrings. Whatever it was, Sesshomaru was stuck with it now. An uncharacteristic choice affects the world forevermore, and it began and ended with a word: "brother".

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**009: Adorned**

The child clambered down with little grace and Sesshomaru was less than pleased with the dusting of leafs and flower petals that settled on his shoulders. One petal landed on the child's nose after drifting from the lord's shoulders, and it sneezed.

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**Words:** 42


	10. Wander

**Summary: **Perhaps it was the child's face, so much like their father's. Perhaps it was its piteous cries, high and annoying and impossible to ignore. Or perhaps it was nothing more than animal instincts, tugging at his dusty heartstrings. Whatever it was, Sesshomaru was stuck with it now. An uncharacteristic choice affects the world forevermore, and it began and ended with a word: "brother".

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**010: Wander**

When Sesshomaru opened his eyes, he realized that he was alone. The clearing was empty and the child's trail wandered in aimless circles around, several times approaching him and skirting away, tinged with fear and other less important emotions.

He warred with himself only briefly before following its most recent trail into the forest. He wondered briefly if it would make finding it difficult…but that question was almost immediately answered when a boisterous and off-tune voice began to sing an equally obnoxious song.

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**Words: **84


	11. Song

**Summary: **Perhaps it was the child's face, so much like their father's. Perhaps it was its piteous cries, high and annoying and impossible to ignore. Or perhaps it was nothing more than animal instincts, tugging at his dusty heartstrings. Whatever it was, Sesshomaru was stuck with it now. An uncharacteristic choice affects the world forevermore, and it began and ended with a word: "brother".

**Author's:** Some of these chapters are almost amusingly short...

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**011: Song**

A juvenile lilt rose and fell in wordless notes. Tracking the brat was none too difficult. He found it by a creek, kicking at fish while it sang.

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**Words:** 28


	12. Defend

**Summary: **Perhaps it was the child's face, so much like their father's. Perhaps it was its piteous cries, high and annoying and impossible to ignore. Or perhaps it was nothing more than animal instincts, tugging at his dusty heartstrings. Whatever it was, Sesshomaru was stuck with it now. An uncharacteristic choice affects the world forevermore, and it began and ended with a word: "brother".

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**012: Defend**

The only aid the whelp offered was an occasional growl that was too high-pitched to be anything but pathetic. But Sesshomaru felt its eyes following him, or trying to, while he danced around his foe, and he didn't miss its little gasps at his displays of power. When he dropped to the grass, flicking away the few drops of blood that dared to stick to him, he smelled its fear…and its respect.

His lips twitched and without another word, he turned. It gave chase immediately, marching bravely past the still twitching body, knowing that Sesshomaru would never leave an enemy alive.

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**Words**: 102


End file.
